Color crayons and wax markers are in common use, especially by school-age children. While such fusible color crayons are inexpensive and easy to use accurate color drawing is difficult unless the end of the crayon is rather sharply pointed. Generally a new crayon maintains its original sharp point only for a short period of use and quickly becomes dull or blunt. Consequently, there is a need for a device which will efficiently restore a rather sharp point to the dull or blunt end of color crayons.
Conventional pointers, often included with packages of color crayons, use a blade to trim the crayon end. The crayon is placed into a tapered recess which positions the crayon against the blade. The user then turns the crayon until the blade has cut or shaved enough material to restore a sharpened end to the crayon. Not only is a substantial amount of otherwise useable crayon material wasted, but the device requires significant user time and effort.
Efforts have been made to provide pointers that melt and reshape a dull crayon end rather than cutting or shaving it. For example, the W. N. Herbert et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,580,092 and the LaRue U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,351 illustrate such previous efforts which show electrically powered heating elements for melting and reshaping crayon ends. In both patents, a cone-shaped recess is maintained at a temperature above the melting point of the color crayon. As the end of the crayon is forced into the recess, it melts and is gradually molded into the pointed shape of the recess.
The applicant has sought to improve the operation of heat operated color crayon pointers and has invented a pointer which avoids the inefficiencies and inaccuracies of previous crayon pointing devices. The applicant provides a color crayon pointer that can be more readily manufactured at a considerable savings in cost which enables the pointer to be sold at a price that makes the pointer more affordable to children.